Vocal Warm Up
Vocal Warm Ups
Below are our vocal warm-up videos for High Mid and Low voice ranges. Use on a daily basis, before your singing practice.
Singers are like dancers and athletes – they need to warm up before they perform. You will never see a dancer launch themselves into a routine without properly warming up their bodies beforehand. This is because their muscles are not ready for what is being asked of them, they are not prepared or sufficiently stretched. It leads to serious injuries, which can lead to the dancer being out of action for many week/months.
The same applies to the vocalist. Before we start to sing, we need to prepare our body and our vocal cords in readiness for singing. A regular daily routine of warm-up exercises will make sure your voice is ready for further practice or prepare you for your performance.
Posture
- Stand tall, with your shoulders back and let your arms dangle loosely by your side.
- Keep your head up so that it opens your airway
- Feel yourself being pulled upwards from your navel to the top of your head, so that you create more space for air in your lungs
- Try standing with your knees unlocked and with one foot slightly in front of the other, about shoulder width apart
- Relax but don’t slouch!
Next start some shoulder rolls. Gently roll your shoulders back in a circular motion, then try rolling them forwards in a circular motion. Release all that tension in your shoulders.
Now try rolling your head around in a circular motion, around the the right, then to the left. Also bring your head down so that you look at the floor, then tilt your head back so that you look upwards.
Breathing Exercises
Exercise 1
Take a controlled long and deep breath.Breathe in through your nose. Count to 8 as you continue to breathe in. Feel the air filling every part of your lungs, and remember to keep your shoulders down and relaxed.
Now breathe out through your mouth. Keep that breathe controlled, and again count to 8 as you’re breathing out. and repeat
Exercise 2
Next try breathing through your mouth (as if you are sipping in through that big straw) but control it over the counts of four:
Inhale 2 3 4 Hold 2 3 4 Exhale 2 3 4
Inhale 2 3 4 Hold 2 3 4 Exhale 2 3 4
Inhale 2 3 4 Hold 2 3 4 Exhale 2 3 4 and relax.
Exercise 3
Take a deep breath in, then exhale gently in a SSSSSS breathe (hissing like a snake). Work on keeping your exhalation a steady and constant stream for as long as you are able.
When you start to get the urge to breathe, try and continue exhaling just a little bit more before you have to breathe in.
Some people can manage just a few seconds, others can manage a minute or more.
Do what is right for you to begin with. Try timing yourself. Eg this week you managed 10 seconds, next week try for 11 seconds etc.
Tip: You may feel dizzy and lightheaded if you do too many breathing exercises in straight succession. If this happens to you, please stop the exercises and sit quietly until the feeling passes.
Humming
The reason we need to warm up our voice before we start singing, is because our vocal cords/folds are easily damaged and therefore need warming up before use. Warm-up exercises will make sure that your voice is ready to practice and perform.
A gentle, quiet hum is a great way of warming up your voice. Even if scales are not your thing, humming quietly to one of your slower, more melodic songs can help warm up your vocal cords.
Vocal Warm Up Video's :
We have put together a collection of quick and easy vocal warm ups for you to do. They are available in High Voice, Middle Voice or Low Voice Options.
- Select High Voice is you know you are soprano or a tenor,
- Low Voice is for Alto and Bass ranges
- Middle Voice is for Mezzo and Baritone range.
If you are not sure what voice range you are, start with the middle range and see if it’s ok for you, or if it is too high or too low for you. We have also included our video below where you can find your voice range.
The video’s are split into two halves. The first half of the video will have instructions on how to do each of the exercises with examples. The second half are without the explanations and examples to allow for a quicker warm-up routine when you are feeling more confident using the exercises without the explainations.. Simply use the tabs near the bottom of the video to scroll roughly halfway across.
